Not So Black and White A Pokemon Black Nuzlocke
by Calamity2007
Summary: My first Nuzlocke challenge. Told in a story format. The story follows the newbie trainer, Rogan. As he adventures in a land where he encounters friends, enemies, challenges, death, and maybe even glory. This is going to be the first part of a Nuzlocke duology.
1. Chapter 1: A Humble Beginning

**"Not So Black & White" A Pokémon Black Nuzlocke**

**Chapter 1**

It's spring in the town of Nuvema. Here a young man will start his adventure into a world of friends, battles, memories, and death. Whether the person who comes out of this will be grown for the better or worse, no one knows. But for this young man, he has an eventful tale in front of him. That youth's name is…

"Rogan!" shouted a bispeckled young man, to another youth with brown hair, a cap, and a blue jacket. "Ow, that was right in my ear!" Rogan responds covering his left ear in pain. "What is it Cheren?" Cheren responds "Sorry, but I heard from Professor Juniper that we can have a Pokémon. ". "Yes, I heard that as well, now all we have to wait for Bianca-"

Just then a perky blond girl with a green beret came up from the stairs, and with an excited tone said "Am I a little late again? Sorry!" Both Rogan and Cheren face-palm "Geez, I knew you always had bad timing but seriously." The latter said. "We are supposed to get our Pokémon today". "I know, I know, sorry about that." Bianca said. "So, where are the Pokémon?" Rogan points towards the blue gift box on a nearby table. "In there." "Okay then" Cheren said "Since these arrived at your house; I think you should choose the first one".

Rogan approaches the gift box, unwraps the green ribbon sealing the box, and opens it to find three red and white spheres with buttons on the front of them. He looks at the note that came with the package and sees on the back of it three creatures, one looks like a red pig, to the left of it was a snake standing on two legs, and to the right was an otter-like creature. The names were 'Tepig', 'Snivy' and 'Oshawatt' respectively. Hmm, Rogan pondered.

He was all too familiar with the creatures called Pokémon. How could he not? Practically everyone around town talked about them. They were used for all sorts of purposes, such as dairy, labor, and pets. But the most widely talked about them were Pokémon battles; a game where to raisers of Pokémon, trainers, would battle each other with a team of Pokémon. These battles would get very intense at times, to the point where there were cases where trainers have lost their Pokémon in battle. These deaths were not terribly common though. And the fame and glory that came from battling always seemed like it was worth it. Rogan had always wanted to experience it, to become famous and well known and an expert trainer. And now was his chance.

He had heard that grass types were generally the easiest to train so he decided that the Pokémon named Snivy might be a good first choice. He picked up the Pokeball to the left and pressed the button on it. The ball opened almost instantly and the same creature that he saw in the letter came out of the ball. It blinked and looked around the room in confusion. "Aw, how cute" Said Bianca "I wonder what my Pokémon will be like." as she picked up the two other balls. "Here, Cheren you can have this one" She gave him the one that was in the middle. "Hey, don't pick my Pokémon for me!" Cheren said, almost like he was offended. "Well, whatever, I wanted Tepig anyway. After all, apparently fire types powerful and especially good against grass types, huh, Rogan?" Rogan looked at him, a bit annoyed. Cheren had always been a competitive rival to him. Whether it came to video games, sports, or even to see who could finish their meal first. Rogan enjoyed this at times, but admittedly, Cheren's slightly smug attitude did annoy him at times as well, such as this. "Really interesting" Rogan said sarcastically.

So some time passed and the three let their Pokémon meet and play with each other for a while. Three sat around them to watch over them so to make sure they get along well. Rogan, even though he thought this was nice, was starting to get a little bored. Fortunately for him, Bianca stood up and exclaimed "Hey, now that we have gotten to introduce ourselves to our Pokémon, how about we have a Pokémon Battle!" Finally, this is what Rogan was waiting for. He could barely contain his excitement. He didn't even heard what they said next. "So it's settled Rogan! Let's have a battle, you and me!"

Rogan was surprised that he and Bianca were fighting first. He didn't know that Bianca would have been so willing to fight, especially more than Cheren. But he didn't care, a battle was a battle. He stood up, grabbed his Pokeball, and threw it to release Snivy, and Bianca did the same for Oshawatt. From what he remembered from watching other battles, most Pokémon could know a basic attack called Tackle so he tried using that. "Snivy, use Tackle!" Snivy ran up to the opposing Pokémon and hit itself against it, the Oshawatt doing the same.

Snivy tackled the Oshawatt again but this time it wagged its tail at Snivy, causing it to get a little annoyed and lose focus. "What did that Pokémon try to do?" Roland thought. "Whatever, use Tackle again Snivy!" After a couple more blows the Oshawatt fainted. Both Rogan and Snivy smiled in response to their first victory. "Good job!" Bianca said "Both Pokémon tried their best." "Yes but I won Bianca." Rogan said proudly.

"Uhh guys" Cheren interrupted "Look around you." It was only after this that they noticed his room was in a complete mess. "Wow, I guess we got carried away there." He thought. "Sorry about your room Rogan" Bianca said sheepishly. "It's okay; trust me it was worth it". "Anyway" Cheren interjected "Let me heal your Pokémon." Cheren then brought out a couple of pink bottles that looked like they had come from a pharmacist. He sprayed Oshawatt and Snivy and the unconscious otter immediately stood back up with a smile on its goofy face.

"Hey guys" Bianca said as she recalled her Pokémon back into the ball. "You two should fight next. You always seem more experienced at competing then me". "Heh, I think that sounds like a great idea" Cheren replied. He then turned to face Rogan "If anyone should be my first opponent it should be you Rogan". Rogan nodded. "Okay then, let's see what you can do Tepig!"

The fight was much like the previous one was, with Snivy and Tepig tackling each other while Tepig occasionally whipped its tail in Snivy's face. That was until during one of the tackles Snivy seemed to get hurt more than usual. "What?" Rogan said. "Didn't you know Rogan" Cheren said while adjusting his glasses "Tail Whip distracts your Pokémon, decreasing its defenses. Of course you would know that if you studied Pokémon moves like I did." "I don't need fancy moves to beat you Cheren! Use Tackle again!" A couple more blows and the opposing Pokémon was defeated. Rogan looked down at his Snivy with a bit of concern though. That last blow seemed to hurt it a bit. "So that was a Pokémon battle. I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Anyway, it seems like we should apologize to your mom for the mess we maid." "Yeah okay, see you later" Rogan half-heartedly said while not looking at them, he was still looking at his Snivy and the bruise that the Tepig's tackle caused him. When they left the room he bent down and petted his Pokémon. The grass snake looked back at him with a look that seemed to say "Don't worry about me. I can take much more than this." Rogan smiled at this and recalled his Pokémon. Hopefully this was a good sign of things to come, Rogan thought as he headed down the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2: First Steps

**Chapter 2**

Shortly after the battle, Rogan came down the stairs where after him and his friends apologized to his mom, Bianca and Cheren decided to head over to the local Pokémon professor, Professor Juniper. Rogan decided that he would catch up later under the excuse that he needed to rest his feet.

"Aren't you going to see your friends, sweetie?" Rogan's mom asked.

"I will in a quick minute, I just need to sit down for a second." Rogan sat on the couch and reached out for the remote to turn the T.V. on. When he turned it on he saw that it was on a cartoon that he never really watched much. Apparently it was about this cartoon showing a Pokémon Trainer also called Rogan, who started his journey a year ago. Rogan could never watch it himself because he was often too weirdid out by the coincidence. And now that Rogan has gotten his first Pokémon that only convinced him further. He decided to turn off the TV and meet up with the duo.

When he left his house, he noticed that Bianca in front of him running to the south side of town. This wasn't where the Pokémon Lab and Rogan felt something was amiss. He followed her to her house, making sure not to be noticed. When he went to the house he looked through the window and saw Bianca arguing with a middle-aged man, whom Rogan recognized and her father. Bianca's father, Rogan felt, was a bit overprotective of her and this wasn't the first time where he objected to her wanting to go out on her own. Bianca told Rogan earlier that her father was feeling anxious over the news that she would be getting her first Pokémon but seemed to assure himself that she would only keep it as a pet. He must have finally found out that she plans to become a trainer.

Soon later Bianca rushed out of the door and nearly stumbled over Rogan on her way out. "Are you okay?" Rogan asked.

"I'm fine…" Bianca said, halfheartedly. Rogan could see that tears were welling up in her eyes. "Did you overhear us?"

"Umm…" Rogan had trouble figuring out how to explain this off. "So I'm guessing your dad still doesn't want you to become a trainer?" Rogan ask, attempting to change the subject.

"Yeah…" Bianca said and paused. You could cut the awkwardness with a knife. "Anyway let's heard on over to the Lab, Rogan."

"Oh! Yes, okay. Meet you there."

Rogan headed to the north of town where a large building was right next to a wind turbine. This was the Pokémon Lab where Professor Juniper and her father worked. He opened the building and he saw Bianca and Cheren next to a woman with short brown hair in a swirl and wearing an unbuttoned doctor's jacket. In the corner he could an older man smiling and working on documents.

"Hey, Rogan!" The woman said excitedly "What took you so long?"

"Sorry about that, Professor Juniper. I got caught up on the way here." Rogan said and blushed. "So you wanted to see us before we headed off?"

"Correct. I wanted to give you three a few things before you left, such as these." She pulled out of her pocket three slim red devices that almost looked like calculators in cases. She spread them out on the table in front of her.

"Hey, are those what I think they are?" Cheren curiously asked.

"Pokedexes? Yes, they are. With these devices you can document information on Pokémon that you find and catch in the wild."

Rogan took the Pokedex in the middle and opened it. The Pokedex immediately turned on but all he could see on it were numbered bars with no text by them. "Umm… Juniper. There is nothing on these Dexes."

"Well that's because I formatted them before you came, after all, what motivation would there be to find Pokémon if most of them were already on the Dex? Here, let me show you how to register Pokémon on it." Rogan handed his Pokedex to Juniper. "If you wouldn't mind please call out the starter Pokémon you chose earlier today."

Rogan called out his Snivy who took a second to gather his surroundings. It was only now that Rogan noticed that there was a camera on the back of the Pokedex. Juniper pointed the camera at Snivy and Rogan noticed a light blink right next to the camera lens. "And done! Your Snivy is now registered." Juniper handed the Pokedex back to Rogan and Rogan saw on the screen a picture of Snivy, along with its name, height, weight, and a small bio describing it, among other information. Rogan was amazed that a single picture of his Pokémon could produce so much information. "Hey." Juniper called his attention "Have you nicknamed your Snivy yet?"

"Oh no, I haven't." What would be an appropriate nickname for this grass snake, Rogan wondered as Bianca and Cheren called out their Pokémon to register them. There was a name of a fictional medieval hero he saw on TV once. "How do you like the name Rennie, Snivy? It means Brave Ruler." The Snivy looked like it was lost in thought for a second then, looked up at Rogan and cried in delight. It liked the name.

"So anyway" Juniper started explaining "I just want you three to know that you have a long and exciting journey ahead of you. Your journey will be full of friends, battles, and competition. It will also have sadness death apart of it as well. I am sorry to tell you three this but I just want you to know that Pokémon don't live forever and that the road ahead has dangers that could put your Pokémon at risk." Juniper paused for a second "But, as your parents before you, you will grow with your Pokémon, both as friends and companions. And you yourself as a person will grow. Do you three understand me?" The three nodded. "Good. Now then…" "I wish you the best of luck on your adventures and feel free to come back anytime if you need to check on your progress on the Pokedex. Also I will call you three on the Xtranciever to check on your progress as well."

The three head on to the outskirt of town leading to Route 1, a popular first start for Pokémon journeys. On the way they ran into Rogan's mother who gave all of them a town map. They eventually see the Route in front of them.

"Y'know" Bianca said "I think it would be appropriate if we took our first steps on Route 1 together, it is the beginning of our journey after all." The other two agreed and on the count of three they all stepped forward at the same time.

After walking a little into the route they noticed that Professor Juniper was in front of them. "How did she get a head of us?" Rogan wondered to himself.

Juniper called out to them "Hey, you three! I nearly forgot to give you your Pokeballs." She gave the trio three small cases that each held five unused Pokeballs inside. "There is also something important I want to tell you as well. You have heard of the recent catching law that has taken into effect right?"

"I heard about it." Cheren answered "Apparently trainers can only capture one Pokémon per Route, right?"

"Yes. The Pokémon League is worried that the recent increase of trainers this year might negatively affect the Pokémon populations, so a trainer can only capture one Pokémon per Route and if they accidentally kill a Pokémon then they are forbidden from catching one that Route as well, only a few exceptions such as if the Pokémon has an abnormality."

"An abnormality?" Bianca asked.

"Such as if it's colors on its body are different. Some groups in the League have nicknamed these kind of Pokémon, Shiny Pokémon. If you encounter any of these Pokémon, feel free to capture them. I would like to see them as well." "Well, that's all I wanted to say to you, so I'll head back to town. I'll call you three when I need to tell you more information." With that, Juniper left the three to their own devices.

"One Pokémon per Route…" Cheren said. "That is going to make it a lot more difficult for us to gather a team"

"Yeah but look at the bright side Cheren." Bianca said, trying to cheer him up "At least this means we can be more attached to the Pokémon we find."

"True." He turned to Rogan. "So anyway, me and Bianca are planning to head to the next town. You can come with us if you want."

"Thanks Cheren" Rogan assured him "But I'm going to see if I can find a Pokémon in this Route. I really can't wait to see what kind of Pokémon there are."

"Suit yourself" Cheren shrugged. "Just don't take too long."

Rogan walked along the Route combing the area for signs of wild Pokémon. Rogan admitted that to himself that it was really relaxing to just walk around in nature. Especially since summer was near and he could see the foliage around him starting to bloom. He wasn't the only one impressed by these sights. Rennie was also amazed by the signs around him. Being a grass type Pokémon, Rogan wasn't surprised that Rennie would feel at home in nature. They were walking around in some tall grass when they saw a rustle in front of them. Rogan immediately told Rennie to tackle object in the grass. Rennie did as commanded and quickly disappeared in the grass in front of him. Rogan could hear a struggle and after several seconds the Snivy popped his head above the grass and cried in accomplishment. Rogan walked near him to see what Rennie has found and he saw a dazed puppy on the ground. Rogan's heart immediately melted and he almost was about to hug the puppy himself when he remembered that he had to capture it first. He grabbed one of the Pokeballs the Professor game him, pressed the button in front of it, causing it increase in size and threw it at the puppy. Immediately a red light appeared form the ball which surround the puppy, and a second later it disappeared.. The Pokeball shook a few times then emitted a sound signifying that the Pokémon was caught. Rogan immediately called the Pokémon out and checked his Pokedex to see what it was and saw that the species name was Lillipup. He was about to hug the Pokémon when it started growling at him. He backed off a little and the Lillipup seemed content with that. Rogan was a little disappointed of the Lillipup's quick tempered attitude but was happy that otherwise it seemed okay to be in his party. He decided to name the Lillipup, Rover.


	3. Chapter 3: Team Plasma

**Chapter 3**

After resting a bit, Rogan and his Pokémon continued along the Route, training against wild Pokémon on the way. When they reach the next town, Accumula Town, he sees Cheren among a large audience of people listening to this cloaked man with green hair and a monocle, surrounded by men and women who were wearing clothing that looked like chain mail. On their uniforms and the flags around them was an emblem that looked like a black and white shield, with a blue P on it with a Z crossing behind it. Rogan joins his two friends in the crowd of people.

"Who the heck are these guys?" Rogan asked them.

"They call themselves Team Plasma." Cheren answered him. "Apparently there giving a speech about how we should release our Pokémon because we are apparently mistreating them."

"Sounds like a bunch of Tauros." Rogan voiced his opinion.

"I agree, but apparently at least some people seem interested since there is so many people in this crowd." "Still…" Cheren straightened his glasses. "There is something about these guys that I don't trust. Especially that cloaked man in the middle, who calls himself Ghestis."

Rogan looked around in the crowd, most of them with looks of disbelief or amusement, but he noticed a young man a young man who seemed to be absorbing every word Team Plasma were saying. This man looked about the same age as Rogan did. He even was wearing a cap like Rogan over his long green hair, which seemed remarkably similar to Ghestis's hair.

After Team Plasma finished their speech and left, the crowd dispersed, leaving Rogan and Cheren to ponder what just happened.

"Liberating Pokémon…" Rogan pondered as he pet Rennie and Rover. "Is really such a thing necessary?" "You two are happy to be my Pokémon, right?" Rogan asked, and his Pokémon cried as if they answered "Yes."

"Your Pokémon. They just talked didn't they." A mysterious voice quickly said. Rogan turned around and saw that the green haired youth that was at the rally was right next to his face.

"Gah! Ever heard of personal space?" Rogan rhetorically asked as he backed away from this man. "And what do you mean by 'talked'?"

"Oh I see. I guess you can't understand your Pokémon." The youth said disappointingly. "I want to be able to understand Pokémon. And even though I'm a Trainer, I feel that liberation is the only way Pokémon could be understood."

"Wait" Cheren interjected. "You actually believe in what Team Plasma were saying?"

"Of course, anyone who really cares about Pokémon could understand that the only thing holding Pokémon back are humans." He turned to Rogan. "Don't you agree?"

"No I don't, and I don't care what Team Plasma thinks. Pokémon are our friends." Rogan defended.

"Such a selfish way of thinking." The young man said as he raised a Pokéball in front of him. "Then let me hear how your Pokémon really think."

Cheren was about to grab one of his Pokeballs to battle the youth but Rogan stopped him. "No Cheren. I am the one he wants to battle. Come on Rover, let's take him on!" Rover yelped in excitement.

"Go, Purloin!" The young man said as he threw his Pokeball and a cat creature with purple and yellow fur came out of it and growled at Rover.

After a few exchanges of tackles and scratches the Purloin fainted and the young man called it back with a solemn look on his face. "I see, you Pokémon do work well as a team. But your Pokémon can become so much more, if it wasn't forced to be in a Pokeball." The youth then departed out of Accumula town.

"Well that was strange. What the heck was that guy trying to prove anyway?" Rogan asked.

"I don't know." Cheren answered. "But whatever the case, it is going to take a lot more than some cryptic speech to separate me from my Pokémon. Anyway, me and Bianca are going to head to Striation City. It is where the first Gym is. You should think about heading there yourself unless if you want to fall behind." Cheren walked away to the northwest exit of the town.


	4. Chapter 4: Hard Lessons

**Chapter 4**

Among a grassy field there lays a Purrloin peacefully sleeping under the sun, which soon wakes up upon hearing a rustling sound among the tall grass. The Purrloin stands, watching where the sound came from. It braces itself as the rustling comes closer. Until finally a Lillipup jumps from the bushes and attacks the Purrloin, who stands it's ground against the invader. Just as the Purrloin leaps for a counterattack something hits it in the back of head, causing a red light to envelop it and the feline disappears afterwards, leaving behind a Pokeball.

"Sweet, that makes two" Rogan said, picking up the Pokeball. "Good job distracting it Rover. I think I'll call this one Mia." Rogan let out the Pokémon from the ball. "Sorry about that." Rogan apologized, while petting the cat "Here, let's take you to the Pokémon center in the next town".

"Hey, Rogan!" Someone shouted at him. He turned and saw that Bianca was behind him. "Nice seeing you here.

"Same here Bianca.

"Caught any new Pokémon, Rogan?"

"Yes actually, I just caught a Purrloin. You?"

"I was able to catch a Lillipup. It seems like you already are getting more Pokémon then me and Cheren. Hey, I bet your skills have improved. Why don't we battle again?"

"Sure Bianca. Let's battle."

"Wow, it looks like you one again, Rogan." Bianca said, impressed. "I noticed that you didn't use your Purrloin though."

"Yeah, I injured it back when I caught it, so I plan to take it to the Pokémon Center in Striation City. Speaking of which, I should probably get there now. See, ya!" Rogan then ran off, barely leaving Bianca any time to react.

"I hope he knows what he is doing…"

Soon Rogan arrived in Striation City. It was the first city Rogan have ever been to and he was amazed by the tall buildings. He soon noticed a restaurant in front of him. Rogan admitted to himself that he hadn't eaten since he left Nuvema Town and he was pretty famished. As he walked towards the restaurant he noticed that a man with green hair was in front of the restaurant. This wasn't the same green-haired man that battled him earlier, this one was in formal clothing, and had short green hair. "He must be one of the workers at the restaurant", Rogan thought to himself.

"Ah, you must be another trainer. Are you friends with that young man with glasses." The green haired man said.

"Uh, yeah. Did he already challenge you to a match?"

"N-No, I am only one of the three Leaders of this Gym. My name is Cilan. Your friend would have fought my brother Cress. A-Anyway our Gym is closed at the moment, as well as the restaurant unfortunately for matenance purposes. It should be open in a few hours."

"Oh, I see." Rogan said disappointingly. "So did you see where my friend went?"

"Y-Yes. He seemed to have gone to the Trainer School. It's where new trainers go to learn about the basics of battles. I recommend going there too if you're interested."

"Might as well." Rogan shrugged. "First I should probably go to the Pokémon Center though."

Later Rogan entered the Pokémon Center, a building with many windows and a red roof from the outside, and from the inside, was a very clean place with a yellow tiled floor, with a couple of racks on magazines on a wall next to this counter where a woman where a pink haired woman in a nurses uniform. As he walks towards to counter he notices another counter, this one blue with a couple of clerks at the side of it.

"Hello young man." The nurse said. "And welcome to the Pokémon Center. Are you here to heal your Pokémon?"

"Yeah." Rogan said.

"Okay then. Hand me your Pokeballs and I will heal them."

"Okay." Rogan said puzzled. He handed the balls to her which she took to a machine behind her which seemed to have slots for six Pokeballs. "With that?"

"Yes. With this machine we can heal Pokémon easily. So whenever your Pokémon is hurt, just bring them here."

"Sure, and I got to ask. What is that blue counter back there?" Rogan said pointing to the blue counter behind him.

"Oh that's the PokeMart, a sort of pharmaceutical store where you can buy items to heal your Pokémon and Pokeballs. Why don't you check it out while your Pokémon heal?"

"Sure."

After buying some supplies at the PokeMart and getting his Pokémon back Rogan decided to head to the trainer school next door. Inside he saw Cheren talking to a woman while staring at writing on a chalkboard.

"I see, so there are five different status conditions that can affect a Pokémon in battle, right?" Cheren asked.

"Yes, there is also a sixth one that can occur outside of battle called PokeRus."

"What does that do?"

"Well…"

"Hey Cheren!" Rogan interrupted. "I thought you knew everything about Pokémon. Maybe I was wrong, if you need to go back to school."

"Very funny, Rogan." Cheren said sarcastically. "And I assume you know more about Pokémon battles then I do, huh?"

"Why not, I beat you before right?"

"True. Can you do it again though?"

"Heh, you're on Cheren. Outside though."

"Go, Mia!"

Go, Tepig!"

The two sent their Pokémon outside the Trainer School. Rogan was surprised that Cheren sent out his signature Pokémon first. Rogan didn't think that Mia could stand against the Tepig, so he thought of a different strategy.

"Okay Mia, intimidate that Tepig. Use Growl!" Mia growled at the Tepig defiantly.

"Tackle it, Tepig!" Cheren commanded in response.

Tepig crashed into Mia, sending her down on the ground. She just got up and continued to growl defiantly.

"I think that's enough Mia."

"Quick, tackle it again!"

The Tepig attacked Mia again, sending her back to the ground. As before, she got back up this time a little injured.

"Mia! That's enough!" Rogan said as he recalled Mia back into the Pokeball.

"Rover, go!" Rogan sent out Rover, who he felt could do a lot better job handling the Tepig. "Let's finish this! Use Tackle!"

"You too Tepig!"

The two Pokémon then charged at each other.

The sun started to set. Rover and Rennie stood against a defeated Tepig and Purrloin.

"That's two to zero, Cheren!" Rogan said proudly.

"Great. You're keeping score now. Um, about your Purrloin."

"Don't worry about. She's fine."

"Okay then. You didn't catch it today, did you?" Cheren said, concerned.

"Yeah, why?"

"I just think that you might have to have it rest a little before engaging in any more Trainer battles."

"It's fine. I can just heal it up at the Pokémon Center." Rogan, replied, dismissing Cheren's concerns.

"They can only do so much."

"I know what I'm doing, Cheren! Frankly the way I see it, I have been taking care of my Pokémon better then you two, since I can beat both of you."

"What was that?" Cheren said annoyed. "You think just by beating us, it makes you a better Pokémon trainer?"

"Yes. I haven't had a single Pokémon of mine faint."

"That could just have been luck. Look, I am as competitive as the next guy, but I at least know when my Pokémon have limits. Tch, enjoy your victory jerk." Cheren said, leaving Rogan before he can respond.

"Okay then, be the sore loser." "Let's go back to the Pokémon center and get you guys healed up."

After visiting the Pokémon Center again and spending some money to stay at a hotel for the night, Rogan went outside and noticed that Cilan was no longer in front of the restaurant and that it had an open sign in front of it. Rogan, was surprised it took him this long to notice that there was a Pokeball logo in front of the restaurant that said Gym.

When Rogan entered the restaurant he saw a nice, formal room with tables throughout it. The restaurant seemed a bit small to be honest. But he noticed at the back of the restaurant there was what looked like a stage with a curtain behind it. On the stage was Cilan, a blue haired man and a red haired man, all in formal business-ware.

"Hey, there Cilan!" Rogan shouted at him to get his attention.

Cilan turned to him. "Oh, h-hello again... Are you here to take the gym challenge-?

"Yo, challenger!" The red haired man interrupted him. "You're that trainer that my bro, Cilan has been talking about. I'm Chili. One of the three gym leaders here. Hey, I saw that battle you did with your friend outside there yesterday. So you picked Snivy huh, guess that means you'll be battling me. I love fire types by the way, so watch out or your Snivy will be toast. Know what I mean-"

"I think he gets it Chili." The blue haired man said, thankfully stopping him. "Sorry about that, my brother can be a bit, how do say it, hot headed. " Rogan then just noticed that Chili's hair did look a bit like fire. "Anyway my name is Cress, and what my brother said was true. You will be fighting him. See this gym is all about teaching newcomers about type advantages do you know about them?

"I know the basics." Rogan answered. "Me and my friends picked different Pokémon that can have advantages over the other, so I'm told."

"Ah, so you must know that your Snivy is sadly going to be at a disadvantage at this gym. And even then, our Pokémon are stronger than your probably used to by now, but fortunately for you there is a woman giving away free Pokémon at the Dreamyard.

"Free Pokémon?"

"Yes. When I, I mean we, asked her to help breed these monkey Pokémon for us, they unexpectedly had twins, so she is trying to give away the extra siblings for adoption. They could give you advantage fighting Chili."

"W-We need to prepare the gym section of the restaurant anyway, so it will help you spend time." Cilan advised.

"Yeah! I mean, sure winning is fun, but I would much rather has a challenge. You know what I mean. It's like eating something new at a restaurant, I mean, you could order something that is familiar, but what new experience would you have with that? It's much mor-"

"I think I get the point Chili." Rogan interrupted to stop another one of Chili's rants. "Anyway I will be back soon. See ya!" Rogan bolted out of there before Chili started talking again. He could still hear him continuing his one-sided conversation as he was leaving the restaurant.

Rogan while walking to the east exit of town noticed that there was a dilapidated building in the distance. He noticed that some children were playing around the area. Rogan wondered if this was the Dreamyard. "Yo." He said to a young woman near him. "Is this the Dreamyard?"

"If you agree to battle me I'll tell you." The young woman said smiling.

"Okay then, let's battle."

"Good. And yes this is the Dreamyard."

"I assumed. I kind of just wanted an excuse to battle someone."

"Well, I won't disappoint. Let's go!"

"Go, Mia!"

"Go, my Purrloin!"

The two cats faced each other. Both standing defiantly. Rogan noticed that something was off about Mia though. Her actions seemed to be as not as keen as they were when they fought Cheren. Rogan quickly dismissed the idea.

"Use Scratch, Mia!"

"You too!"

The two ran at each other. But as they were both about to leap at each other, Mia stumbled causing her to trip. The opposing Purrloin was already in mid leap when Mia fell to the ground. The next thing Rogan could hear was a sharp cry from the fallen Mia. A cry of intense pain that made Rogan's blood run cold.

"Oh god!" The young woman shouted and Rogan ran up to his injured Pokémon seeing that there was a gash on Mia's neck that was bleeding. The woman quickly recalled her Purrloin. "Quick, let's get your Pokémon to the Center!"

Rogan grabbed Mia who was barely responding at this point. As he was running he noticed that there was a bruise on her underside. Was this an injury from her battle with Cheren? A sense of dread he never experienced before was starting to overtake him.

The two was able to get the Pokémon Center and they were able to give the injured Pokémon to the Nurse there who quickly rushed the Pokémon to a room behind a curtain where he assumed where the ER was. He thanked to woman for helping him bring his injured Pokémon there, who left, leaving him to wait for his Pokémon to heal. He was holding a buzzer that after what seemed like an eternity, lit up and buzzed, signifying him to be called up to the counter. With a sign of relief he rushed up to the counter where the Nurse had a sad look on her face.

"So, uh, where is Mia?" Rogan asked, trying to hide his impatience.

"…." The Nurse took a few seconds to respond. "I'm sorry Rogan. Your Pokémon, Mia…Died on the operating table due to blood loss."

"What? No, no, no! There must have been something you could have done!"

"We did everything we could."

"Aren't Pokémon Centers supposed to heal all injuries?

"We are not miracle workers! Medical science can only do so much."

Rogan lowered his head, trying to hold back the tears that were forming in his eyes, but failing.

"No…no…It's all my fault…" Rogan said as he continued to weep.


End file.
